Electronic socket



Dec. 18, 1956 E. J. HOBSON ELECTRONIC SOCKET Filed April 16, 1954 INKENTOR. [M472 Jfiob 50m United States Patent ELECTRONIC SOCKET Ervin J. Hobson, Chicago, Ill. Application April 16, 1954, Serial No. 423,695 Y 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-193) The present invention relates to improvements in a connector socketv for television picture tubes and related electronic units. The invention more particularly deals with a connector socket of this general type in which electrical connecting leads are brought into the socket from the rear thereof, as distinguished from an arrangement such as 'is shown in my Patent No. 2,701,869, dated February 8, 1955, in which the leads are brought into a socket from the same side as the tube or other electronic unit which is mounted in the socket. The invention provides a snubber-type of locking for such leads, whereby they are firmly held in place without possibility of displacement under tension from the rear. The stripped ends of the leads are secured in electrically conducting relation to appropriate spring contacts in the socket, the insulated portion of the leads adjacent those ends being wrapped 180 about forwardly extending socket partitions, which separate certain sets of leadreceiving recesses of the socket, and being then brought rearwardly through openings in the socket body. The insulated portion is thus brought into snubbing relation to the partition, so that when a contact is fully inserted into its recess the frictional retaining hold of the lead in the recess is greatly augmented by the binding or snubbing at the 180 bend of the lead, and a very effective connection results. Tension on the lead is ineffective to disturb the contact, and, of particular importance, the welded or soldered connection of the lead to the contact is relieved of disruptive stress, due to the binding effect mentioned.

Considered more specifically, the improvement consists in the provision of an annular socketbody, preferably molded in one piece of a suitable plastic composition as an integral unit. This annulus will snugly receive the mounting base of a television picture tube or related unit, in a manner well known in the art. .The

provisions to receive the contact prongs of said unit comprise a forwardly opening recess which extends rearwardly of the socket body, but only partially therethrough. A suitable spring or sleeve type metallic contact is frictionally received in this recess. The latter is adjoined by a further forwardly opening, rearw'ardly extending opening, which also ends short of the rear surface of the socket body, which last opening is adapted to receive the insulated portion of the lead directly adjoining its stripped end at the contact.

A restricted axially extending. passage, coextensive in length with the aforesaid recess and opening, communicates the same with one another; hence the insulated portion and the contact, previously connected to the stripped lead end, can be simultaneously inserted in the socket body, the intervening connecting length traveling down the restricted connecting passage.

A third axially arranged, lead receiving opening or channel is formed in the socket body to extend entirely therethrough. It is spaced from the last mentioned lead receiving opening by an axially disposed partition molded in the socket body, the forward end of the par- 2,774,950 lcfi Patented Dec. 18, 1956 tition terminating short of the forward face of the body, for a purpose to be described. This third channel receives the remainder of the lead, which is threaded therethrough and out of the rear of the socket body, and as the operation is completed a 180 bight in the lead is caused to take snubbing engagement with the forward end of the partition. Thus the lead and contact are firmly locked in place in the socket. Rearward pull on the lead is incapable of dislodging the contact or disrupting the electrically conductive connection between the same and the stripped terminal of the lead.

It is possible for a relatively unskilled operator to equip a socket with a desired number of leads in a very short period of time, using simple equipment. The completed unit is strongly assembled and is mounted in a conventional fashion on the chassis of the equipment with which it is used.

The foregoing statements are indicative in a general way of the nature of the invention. Other and more specific objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction and operation of the improved socket construction.

A single embodiment of the invention is presented herein for purpose of illustration. However the invention may be incorporated in other modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of the improved socket;

Fig. 2 is a face view illustrating the socket with a number, but not necessarily all, of its electrical leads assembled thereto according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a typical spring type socket contact and connected lead, as employed with the socket in the illustrated form of the invention, prior to assembly of the same on the socket body;

Fig. 4 is a view in broken line section along line 4-4 of Fig. 2, illustrating structural features and relationships in an empty, lead receiving pocket unit, in which the lead and contact of Fig. 3 are to be disposed.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are, respectively, views in section through the socket body along lines corresponding to lines 55, 6--6 and 7-7 of Fig. 2, showing the features of the several individual recess or channel elements of the aforesaid pocket 'unit and their relation to the contact and lead;

Fig. 8 is a view in section along broken line 88 of Fig. 2, illustrating a slight change in the pocket construction which may be made to accommodate an extra jumper lead.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the body or socket proper 10 of the invention is molded in an nular outline of a suitable plastic composition having necessary electrical insulating properties. Its center opening 11 is surrounded by a forwardly projecting annular lip 12, formed by a recessing of the forward face of the body for a purpose to be described, and a locking key-way or slot 13 is molded in this opening for the vusual purpose of receiving and guiding the rear base of a unit to be mounted (not shown).

,The forward portion of socket body 10 is externally defined by an annular forwardly projecting flange 14 and, inwardly thereof, there is. an annular radially extending face 15 against which the mounted unit abuts, this f ace being to the rear of flange 14. Face 15 is in theradi'al plane of the forward nose of annular lip 12. A continuous, axially extending wall 16, which may be of scalloped contour to provide additional area on face 15, as indicated in Fig. 2, outlines the outer perimeter of an axially recessed annular well 17 between the face 15 and the internal annular lip 12, and when the assembly of contacts and leads to socket body is completed, the bights of the leads are received in well 17, protectively withdrawn behind abutment face of the socket.

A plurality of contact receiving and housing recesses 18- paralleling the axis of the socket are molded in the latter to extend rearwardly from face 15, but not entirely through the axial dimension of the socket, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. They are disposed radially outwardly adjacent flange 14 and are illustrated in Fig. 2 as being of rectangular outline. Recesses 18 are spaced circumferentially from one another in an appropriate fashion to receive the correspondingly spaced contact prongs of the electronic or other element to be mounted. Recesses 18 have uninterrupted smooth inner surfaces adapted to frictionally receive and retain the spring contacts of the socket.

Each of the recesses 13 is separated from a further, parallel lead receiving opening 2% by a throat formation 21 or passage of restricted width, which is coextensive in axial length with the recess. The recess, throat and opening present a generally key-shaped outline in cross section or as viewed in Fig. 2. Throat passage 21 is adapted to receive the stripped end of an insulated conductor, whose insulated portion adjoining said end is disposed in opening 20.

The lead receiving and pocketing provisions of the invention are completed by a further channel 22 spaced from the formations just described and extending axially to the rear from the forward well 17. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the channel 22 includes a portion 22 extending the entire axial width of body 10, from the base of its well 17 to its rear surface, thus providing a through opening which receives an insulated portion of the lead. Channel 22 extends only partially through the socket body in another portion 23 of the latter, but this portion can also be opened to the socket rear, as shown in Fig. 8, for the reception of an additional jumper lead or cross connector, if desired.

Channel 22 is separated from the opening by an intervening, axially disposed partition 24 coextensive in length with the opening, the forward extremity of which partition 24 coincides with the face surface of annular well 17. The forward extremity of partition 24 serves as a snubbing point or binding abutment about which the lead is wrapped 180 in assembly of the contacts and leads, to securely lock the latter to the socket.

Fig. 3 illustrates a typical type of spring contact and lead to be associated with the socket body. The contact 25 is a U-shaped element of electrically conducting spring metal. It has a flat base 26 to which the stripped end 27 of an insulated conducting lead 28 is secured, as by soldering, welding, etc., and a pair of integral spring arms 29 extend upwardly from the base 26. V l i i In assembling the contact 25 to the socket body, it is forced rearwardly into the recess 18, its arms 29 frictionally engaging the sides of the recess. The insulated portion 28 of the lead is simultaneously thrust into an opening 20 adjoining the particular recess in question, the stripped portion 27 passing through restricted throat passage 21. Contact 25 is inserted in this manner to the entire depth of the recess 18. When this is done, the remainder of the lead is simply threaded rearwardly through the channel 22 and its rear opening 22, being drawn tautly at 180- about the forward partition extremity. This engages the lead and contact in a very strongly displacement resisting relation to the socket body, since the binding action at the 180 bent forward portion effectively prevents transmission of tension to the welded or soldered connection of the lead and contact.

The variousrecessed and channeled pocketing provisions of the socket may varyin size to accommodate 'difierently loaded leads of dilferent gauge, as appears in Fig. 2. In the case of a jumper lead or connector, such as is specially illustrated in Fig. 8 and also designated by the reference numeral 30, the portion 23 of body 10 at opening 22 (Fig. 7) is removed. The width of channel 22 is thus increased across the full front to rear depth of the body, allowing room for the end of the jumper to be accommodated, along with the other lead 28 to which it is connected.

Due to the relieving of body 10 to provide a depressed well 17 at which partitions 2g} forwardly terminate, the snubbed bights of the leads are withdrawn in shielded position behind the forward abutment face ledge 15 of the socket body. Hence they are not subject to abrasion by the base of an electronic tube or like element telescoped in the flange 14 and central opening 11 of the body.

It is evident that the number and peripheral spacing of the recess or pocket units may be varied 'in accordance with the characteristics of the particular tube or elements which the socloet receives. HoweverQin an annular or circular arrangement of the composite recess formations, a staggering of the respective component, axially extending recesses and openings in regard to a radius of the circular series of formations, has the effect of considerably compacting the unit in regard to its over-all diametral dimensioni A strictly radial arrangement of the recess 18, lead receiving opening 20 and further opening or channel 22 of each formation would greatly enlarge this d mension. Furthermore, although the particular type spring Contact 25 shown and described is inexpensive'and readily'applied'to the socket body,'it'i;s evident that other contacts may be employe'd, so long as they are adapted for the type of insertionin the recessing provisions, specifically the'recess 1,8, of the present invention.

A' contact socket construction characterized by an insulating socket body having a plurality of'contact recess formations arranged in a ger ierally circular series, each of said formations'including a contact receiving recess extending rearwardly from a forward face of said socket toward a rear face of the latter and terminating short of said rear face in'a closed rear end, an opening generally paralleling" said recess in closely spaced relation thereto, said opening likewise terminating short of said rear face and being communicated withsaid'recess by an intervening, laterally restricted throat, a further channel-like opening extending entirely through 'said'sjocket body in generally parallel relation to said' recess and first named opening, an axially extending partition between said openings, said partition having a forward endadjacent'but in rearwardly retracted relation to said forward socket body facefand a .con't'actin said recess having a conducting lead secured thereto through said restricted throat, said lead extendingirea'rwardly of the socket body through said further op ning jand being bent around said forward end of said partition, 'saidfurther opening being internally enlarged .there along' to a point just short of its end .comrnunication the rear'face of the socket-body to provide a removabl e portion for allowing the introduction of a second lea d .therethr ough. i

References Cited in the file of this patent 

